Victoria Day in Canada, and Memorial Day in the United States, are on two adjacent weekends and they bring much heavier traffic to the border crossings between the two countries for pretty much the entire period between the start and end of the holidays. Many resort destinations promote the Victoria Day Weekend as their official re-opening for the summer vacation season and develop special packages to entice travelers. For many Canadian ports, Victoria Day is the heaviest traffic day of the year.

We will continue to update this post as new information becomes available so you should check back before you travel. Also, remember that before heading out you should check current traffic conditions on ezbordercrossing.com so you will know what is on the road ahead of you.

Your Traffic Avoidance Game Plan

Your best chance to avoid traffic is to arrive at the border before 7 am or after 8 pm. Some ports will open additional lanes at earlier times than usual.

Consider alternate ports of entry that may be less heavily used.

Think about making an overnight stay on Thursday or returning mid-day Monday to avoid fighting peak periods.

Use NEXUS if everybody in the vehicle is a cardholder

Customs typically opens all available lanes and adds staff to handle the heavy traffic over the weekend. You should be prepared to move into lanes that might not normally be open.

Visitors and returning residents should prepare for the inspection process before arriving at the inspection booth. Have your crossing documents available for presentation and be prepared to declare all relevant items.

Heaviest Traffic Periods

In general, traffic entering the U.S. on the Victoria Day holiday is expected to peak on Saturday morning, while traffic heading back to Canada is expected to peak on Monday night. The Blue Water bridge saw traffic spike by 81 percent during Canada’s Victoria Day last year.

Traffic for the U.S. Memorial Day holiday will begin to build early Friday. The heaviest traffic entering Canada should be on Friday and Saturday. The biggest backups into the U.S. will likely appear on Monday.

Peace Arch – Just because your GPS say to go straight up or down the I-5 Corridor you should give some thought to using the Pacific Highway Truck Crossing which is only a mile away and always has less wait time.

Below are current and past years advisories for Victoria Day issued by the Canadian Border Services Agency. We cannot say if past trends will hold up, but these serve as a useful guide. All of these peak periods are for traffic entering Canada.

For Frances – Peak traffic – between 2 p.m. and 6p.m. on Thursday and Friday when border wait times may exceed 30 minutes; and between 2 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Monday, when border wait times may exceed 45 minutes.

Pigeon River – Victoria Day weekend marks the start of the fishing season in Northwestern Ontario, which means there are likely many people from the United States who will be headed to Canada. Peak traffic – Friday evening, and on Saturday morning. Also between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Sunday, and between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Monday , when border wait times may exceed 30 minutes.

Sault Ste. Marie – Victoria Day peak traffic volumes are anticipated to be between 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. on Friday, May 17, between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Sunday, May 19, and between 11 a.m. and 9 p.m. on Monday, May 20, when border wait times may exceed 45 minutes.

Thousand Islands Bridge – This port typically has the heaviest traffic of all border crossings in this area. Peak traffic is anticipated between 11 a.m. and 11 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, when border wait times could exceed 30 minutes. On Victoria Day Monday between 10 a.m. and 11 p.m., border wait times could exceed 60 minutes.

Increased Holiday Police Enforcement

Police across Canada and the U.S. will be out in force to target unsafe driving this entire 2 week period. Canada kicks off “Road Safety Week” and many American jurisdictions match this with “Operation C.A.R.E. (Combined Accident Reduction Effort) and the nation-wide two-week “Click It or Ticket” safety mobilization. You should expect to see an increase police presence including many more unmarked patrol cars and random roadside drunk driving stops. Bottom line: drive safely, don’t drink and drive, no texting while driving, and make sure you know if you are travelling in a province or state that requires hands-free cellphone use.

Ferry Service

Ferry services will experience heavier use during these holiday weekends. You should consider making advance reservations, or plan to show up about an hour before departure time. Foot passengers should be at the terminal about 40 minutes ahead of departure.

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